Hello all. I’m currently playing a Freeman Mellow Dog. I’m looking for a quieter high D whistle that doesn’t require lots of air to play. Under $200 USD, soft and sweet.
Is there such a thing?
Have you considered the Shush whistle?
Potter whistles are about as quiet as they get, almost too civilised at times, perhaps.
You may need to go 2nd hand as they don’t seem available any more.
But I suppose there is a limit how quiet a whistle can go without losing its voice. I feel the Potter is at that edge.
The Cillian I Briain ‘improved’ would be my go to whistle. It has a clear voice and doesn’t shout at you.
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I’d not heard of the Shush until now. I watched a few videos and it seems quieter. I’ll have to search the forum for reviews.
Same with the Potter, although it seems there are none to be had new at the moment.
I’d agree with the replies so far, though I’ll add a couple of ideas.
The old Generation whistles (pre-early 80s) are a little quieter and sweeter in the upper octave. They come up in places like ebay.
Also, you could try a Generation B flat. They’re good whistles in themselves and very playable, so I think you’ll enjoy them. They are also lower pitched and rather less penetrating than soprano D whistles.
I have enjoyed my Shush Classic. They play well in tune and allow to you push your breath in the same way as if you were playing loudly on a regular whistle. I have no idea what the current tariffs will add to the price. Big Whistle in the UK is one retailer and you can by directly from the Shush site. There are a few demonstrations of them being played on their site as well.
I purchased a Shush from the company. I live in Canada. It was 133.00. I may have import fees attached. I feel for you. With postal strikes, I can’t imagine how long I have to wait. I need to practice and not annoy my family. I’m going to ask my church if I could do it at church if possible. Poster tack in the airway helps but I lose notes at times. Thus wondering if it’s my fingers or the mute.
Another tweak to consider is extending the floor of the blade down. Doing that will also reduce the volume of the whistle, without changing the playing characteristics much.
All I do is cut a strip from a drinks can to the width of the window. Then, I attach it to the underside of the blade using a small blob of blu-tack, so that it can still be adjusted. Then, I use a chopstick or similar to press it into place and adjust it as necessary.
I’d start by keeping the edge flush with the existing blade, and seeing what effect that has. Then, if you want it even quieter, adjust it forwards just a tiny amount so that the window becomes shorter. Then, just keep adjusting until it sounds right!
I’ve done this to two whistles, both Generations, and both sound great. So you don’t need an incredible whistle to use this, just something decent.
I bought a Burke narrow bore some time ages ago. It’s the quietest high D I have ever played.
I have a Shush Pro in D and I really like it. Quieter than my Lir, much quieter than my Dixon DX006
Also it has a really nice tone. It doesn’t sound at all like a cheap whistle, that’s the only way I can describe it.
The Shush Pro is sweet and quieter. I use poster tack on the blade when the family are around. Good luck.
I have an aluminum dixon I picked up used. It is much quieter than my session whistles so I play it at home. I have not yet been able to figure out how to tell what model it is. So I am not much help on that one. Most dixons are louder. I also have a couple of Shush whistles I mentioned in my previous response. They are quite quiet. They are designed so you can really push them like you would to play at high volume and they just won’t go there. I like them for that reason. (I like to have a whistle at hand in various places in my house). Turning the head so the blade is facing down can help. Putting a bit of tape over the opening of the mouthpiece and the blade can be another compromise. Choosing the room you practice in can help as well. Facing the couch or a bed will absorb some of the sound. Are you trying to be quiet for others or finding your ears are hurting as you play? In the case of the second a set of ear plugs can help. I always practice with the newer earplugs like Eargasm or Zound that have a filter in them to cut down the sound without muffling it too bad.